The Mamdani administration is proposing a new bike lane on 72nd Street that would connect to Central Park, providing cyclists with a new link between the East and Hudson Rivers.
The Department of Transportation presented its plans for the two-way protected bike lane to Community Board 7 in the Upper West Side on Tuesday night. It included cutting the four traffic lanes on 72nd Street in half and new turning restrictions to protect cyclists in the bike lane.
“Designs like this make our streets safer for everyone, whether you’re biking, walking, or driving,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a press release.
The city plans to build the Upper West Side portion of the bike lane first. The transportation department plans to present its plan to the community covering the Upper East Side in the fall.
If implemented, the plan would be a substantial cross-town upgrade to the bike lane network. The only cross-town protected bike lanes are either on the north or south ends of the park. Cyclists looking to head across town through Central Park face limited options that involve riding in traffic or riding a big section of the park’s loop.
